Combined curtain-stretcher and clothes-drier.



. PATENT-ED MAR. 20, 1906. w. M. RUSH. COMBINED CURTAIN. STRBTGHBR AND IGLOTHBS DRIER. APPLICATION TILED MAR.25, 1904.

I No;815,382. 'PATBNTBD MAR. 20, 1906. w. M. RUSH.

COMBINED CURTAIN STRETGHBR AND CLOTHES DRIER.

APPLICATION PILED-MAB..85.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. i

UNITED STATES ENT; OFFICE.

WILLIAM RUSH, or GREEN'SB RG, PENNSYLVANIA.- COMBINED C URTAIN-S TRETCHER AND OLQTHES-DRIER.

- Application filed March 25,

Specification of Patented. March 20, 1906.

T (zZL whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. RUSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greensburg, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Combined Curtain Stretcherand Clothes-Drier, of which the following is a specification. a

7 he invention relates to a combined curtain-stretcher and clothes-drier. 1

The object of the present invention is to. improve the construction of curtain-stretchers and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one of great strength and durability, capable of ready adjustment for stretching acurtain of any desired size within its capacity, and adapted to obviate the necessity of measuring and squaring the parts.

A further object of the invention is to pro- 2o vide a combined'curtaiin-stretcher and clothe sdrier of this character adapted to be readilyoperated by one person and capable of" being readily arranged for stretching a portion of a curtain when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined curtain-stretcher and clothesdrier adapted to be readily arranged for dry-' ing clothes and capable of being compactly folded when not in use. I

Furthermore, it is the object of the invention to enable the adjustment of the parts to be efiected without slotting and weakening the same.

With these and other objectsin view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arran ement of parts hereinafter fully described, il ustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, pro:

portion, size, andminor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. i

' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a combined curtain-stretcher and clothes-drier arranged for stretching a curtain, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the upper portion thereof. Fig. 4 is aside elevation of the clothes-drier. Fig. 5 is avertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the clamps. l g

Like numerals of reference designate cordrawings. a g 1 "designates a clothes rack or drier composed of a pair of parallel lazy-tongs frames and consisting of crossed end bars or members 2, pivresponding parts in all the figures of the v upper side of the clothes-drier are enlarged between their end pivots or journals and are 'grooved at their longitudinal edges at one side to receive projecting curtain-engaging clothes-drier is arranged horizontally, and the ends of the curtain are engaged with the upper end bars, and the clothes-drier is then extended by pressing downward upon the pins 7 In stretching a lace curtain the.

top of the same until the curtain is stretched to the desired extent. drier is then clamped in its adjusted position, as hereinafter explained, and the curtain-engaging side bars are then adjusted'to suit the width of the curtain, which is then engaged with the pins 8 thereof.

The clothes rack or drier may be made of any desired number of pivotal sections or members to provide a drier of the desired ca- The clothes rack or pacity, and it is provided at opposite sides with pivotal locking-bars 9 for holding it extended when it is arranged in-an upright position for drying clothes. is pivotally connected at one end by a pin 10 to one of the transverse clothes-receiving rungs of the drier, and its other end is provided with a notch or recess 11 for engaging a projecting pin of the opposite clothes-receiving rung of the drier. By this construction the drier is firmly retained in an upright position, as shown in Fig. 4. I

i The clothes-drier is adapted to be compactly: folded by arranging the sections or members formed by the bars 2 and the connecting-rungs 3 and 4 together in the usual manner, and the curtain-engaging side bars are preferably composed of two sections connected by a central hinge 13 to permit the side bars 5 to fold when notin useJ Each 95 Each locking-bar curtain-engaging side bar is grooved at the inner edge to receive the curtain-engaging pins, and it is provided with a hook-bolt 14 for engaging the central top rung of the clothes-drier. The shank of the. hook-bolt 14 pierces the side bar 5 and is provided at the upper or outer face thereof with an ad justing-nut 15, adapted to be manipulated to cause the hook-bolt to clamp and release the central top rung of the clothesdrier.

The side bars 5 are secured to the curtainengaging end bars 6 by means of clamps 16 of approximately rectangular form, composed-of parallel sides 17, a lower jaw 18, and a top connecting-piece 19, on which is mounted an adjusting device, preferably consisting of a screw 20. The lower jaw, which fits against the lower face of the bar 6, is provided with a projecting lip 21, the bar 6 being located between the lip and the sides 17, which are recessed at their inner edges to provide an inwardly-extending upper portion for enabling the adjusting device to be located substantially over the center of the bar 6. The bars 6 at one side of the clothes-drier may be rovided at their lower faces with blocks 22, orming stops for the adjacent clamps to prevent the same from moving inward on the bars 6 laterally of the clothes-drier. These blocks may of course be omitted to permit both curtain-engaging bars to slide on the bar 6. This holds one of the curtain-engaging side bars at the side of the clothes drier or rack.

In assembling the parts to form a curtainstretcher the curtain-engaging side bars are arranged on the clothes-drier, and the clamps are placed in position with the set-screws 20 thereof loose. The hook-bolts are engaged with the central top rung, and the curtainengaging side bars are firmly clamped to the same. The curtain is then placed on the pins of the end bars 6 of the clothes-drier and stretched lengthwise. The clamps, which are located adjacent to the stops 22, are then engaged with the adjacent side bar 5, whereby the clothes-drier is firmly clamped in its adjusted position. The other clothes-engaging side bar is then adjusted or moved inwardly to suit the width of the curtain and then clamped in position. The curtain is then placed on the pins of this side bar. The curtain-stretcher is firmly clamped in its adj ustment, and it may be placed in an inclined position against a tree, fence, or other suport. p The bars of the combined curtain-stretcher and clothes-drier may be made of wood or any other suitable material, and the side bars 5, which are engaged by the set-screws of the clamps, are preferably provided at their-outer portions with metal strips 23 to prevent the screws from injuring the side bars. The curtainengaging end bars are pivotally mounted between the adjacent bars 2 to permit them to be readily arranged in proper position, either to present the pins for engagement with a curtain or to arrange the pins so that they will be out of the way of the clothes placed on the rack or drier.

It will be seen that the combined curtainstretcher and clothes-drier is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that it possesses great strength and durability, and that it is readily adjusted to suit the size of a curtain and does not require any measuring or squaring of parts to effect such adj ustment. Also it will be clear that the lazytongs frames, which constitute the sides of the combined curtain-stretcher and clothes-drier, are adapted to be placed upon the floor or other supporting-surface in a horizontal or vertical position to form a support for the lace-curtain-engaging means and to arrange the transverse connecting bars or rungs to a position to receive the clothes to be dried.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A combined curtain-stretcher and clothes-drier, comprising opposite parallel lazy-tongs frames,transverse clothes-supporting bars connecting the lazy-tongs frames at the ends of the bars or members thereof, said lazy-tongs frames forming the sides of the combined curtain-stretcher and clothes-drier and arranged to be placed upon the floor or other supporting-surface either in a horizontal or vertical position, end bars carried by the lazy-tongs frames and movable toward and from each other by the adjustment of the same and provided with curtain-engaging devices, and curtain-engaging side bars cooperating with the said end bars and pro 'vided with means for locking the lazy-tongs frames in their adjustment.

2. A combined curtain stretcher and clothes-drier, comprising opposite lazy-tongs frames, transverse clothes-supporting bars connecting the lazy-tongs frames at the center and ends of the bars or members thereof, said frames forming the sides of the combined eurtain-stretcher and clothes-drier and being placed upon the floor or other supportingsurface either in a horizontal or vertical position, transversely-disposed curtain-engaging bars connecting thelazy-tongs frames and carried by the same in their adjustment, curtainengaging side bars cooperating with the said curtain-engaging bars and arranged longitudinally of the lazy-tongs frames, and means for clamping the curtain engaging bars, whereby the lazy-tongs frames are secured in their'adjustment.

8. A device of the class described, comprising an extensible clothes-drier provided with opposite curtain-engaging bars movable toward and from each other by the adjustment of the clothes-drier, detachable curtainengaging bars supported by the clothes-drier and provided between their ends with means In testimony that I claim the foregoing as for engaging the clothes-drier at an intermedi-' my own I have hereto afiixed my signature ate point, andmeansforclampingthe det'achin the presence of two Witnesses. v

able bars to the clothes-drier beyond the said WILLIAM M. RUSH. en aging means for securing both the detach- Witnesses: V

abi curtain-engaging bars and the clothes- H. W. KIMMELL,

drier rigidly in their adjusted positions. E. F. BARNHART. 

